Guest User

Sensible Netnonsense

Where Pinoy pop culture and the digital domain collide

by Ignatius Javellana, Philippines

Subscribe to this blog

First-ever blog outside of the country--greetings from Hong Kong!

Jul 27, 2008 11:28

Well, me and my new Universal McCann family have arrived in Hong Kong. I am writing this now at the airport terminal, taking full advantage of the free Wi-Fi in the area. I was trying to blog earlier (around 7am in the Centennial Airport in Manila) but there wasn't enough room for me to hang out. I mean, the waiting area for our gate was loaded, and when I decided to sit elsewhere, the plane started boarding.

Anyway, it really helps that you can get connected virtually anywhere in the world now. I honestly still have a couple of deadlines due, deadlines which I am in the process of finishing or have already mailed. In this day and age of connectivity, free Internet access really helps.

Now, it does make me wonder why a lot of places around the metro back home in Manila still have no free Wi-Fi, that or it's still non-existent. Even in hotels (where you expect guests to be able to use the Internet) home in the Philippines, Internet connectivity is limited. Kind of hampers work and business, doesn't it? Still, a lot of other places, especially in the Makati area, have already begun to offer free Wi-Fi, which is, in my opinion, how it should be.

Then again, even if folks do charge for Wi-Fi, why not follow the local Internet cafe pricing, say, 10 bucks an hour? At least that wouldn't be too hard on the wallet, especially for students and guys like me who are in a rush.

I'll get back to you all soon. The folks we're waiting for are here already.

Next stop: Hong Kong Disneyland!

« Prev

Report offensive

Talkback

mman74

View profile

Send mail

mman74 says...
Hey welcome to HK!
Actually free city wide WiFi is not yet here. But it is free from nearly all government buildings, as well as in lot of malls, and coffeee shops and restaurants. To fill in the holes you really need a PCCW WiFi plan. As a PCCW mobile customer I pay an additional HK$18 for unlimited access, which is almost everywhere (unless you like hiking) - certainly from almost all phonebooths.
Even as a tourist on a pay as you go plan the charge is only HK$6/10 mins, which is less than US$1. Having said that if you are staying at hotel that doesn't have free WiFi then watch out for the cockroaches!
If you are planning to come into HK, find out more about PCCW Wifi here;
www.pccwwifi.com...

Jul 27, 2008 20:13

Comment

Report offensive

TARUGOMAN

View profile

Send mail

TARUGOMAN says...
Thanks for the heads up mman! I did try and connect when we went over to Gold Coast, then to Kowloon and then over to The Peak, and all times there was a different WiFi ISP.

Anyway now we're staying at the Disneyland Hotel (our teambuilding session is set here at Disneyland) and the internet is free. It's via LAN though, so I can't move around the hotel with my laptop.

Next time I'm in town I'll look into PCC. Again thanks for the heads up! ^_^

Jul 28, 2008 01:32

Comment

Report offensive

hkphooey

View profile

Send mail

hkphooey says...
Should have look me up while you're in town, :). If you need anything, feel free to buzz me or email me. Have a nice trip here.

Jul 28, 2008 07:05

Comment

Report offensive

TARUGOMAN

View profile

Send mail

TARUGOMAN says...
Hey thanks for the invite! Too bad we had a really tight schedule and I couldn't really find time to hook up with friends and contacts, which was quite frustrating to say the least! In any case, I had a wonderful time in Hong Kong! Aside from the extreme heat and pollution, the MTR was a wonderful experience (if I had more time I was planning on making a round trip around the island!) and Kowloon, The Peak and Wan Chai are all on my must come back to list. Of course, Disneyland was the highlight of my HK experience. I felt like such a kid again! Will definitely visit again, this time on my own time and for much longer! ^_^

Jul 31, 2008 11:55

Report offensive

About Ignatius Javellana

Iggy Javellana, who is now the Head of Advergaming for Level Up! Games Inc., is what you would call a "wired" individual: Online practically 24/7. He's an avid gamer, satiric blogger, budding musician and independent film enthusiast, and still hopes to one day become a rock star.